Sandwich cookies are flying off the shelves at retail stores across the country, and panaderías can capitalize on this emerging trend by thinking outside the box.

At Campbell’s Bakery in Brentwood, New York, they make filled cookies and Italian biscuit cookies twice a week, and cookie sales are booming. This successful bakery has been blending the best of both worlds — Hispanic tres leches cakes and Italian cookies and pastries — under one roof ever since co-owner Greg Napolitano, decades ago, adapted to changes in their surrounding neighborhood, as more Hispanic households moved into this Long Island town.

“You can’t believe how many Italian cookies Hispanics buy,” he says. “It’s all a matter of education.”

Campbell’s Bakery recently introduced a larger version of the Hispanic sandwich cookie known as alfajores — popularized in the United States following the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil. Americans fell in love with the dulce de leche filling inside alfajores, and this sandwich cookie is gaining steady popularity.

As a successful American baker once said, “people in America love sweet things with delicious fillings.”

Starting in December, Campbell’s Bakery starts putting together dozens of cookie trays that customers buy as gifts for family and friends. This is a great promotional idea for boosting holiday sales. “We sell beautiful cookie trays, which are extremely popular during the December holidays,” Napolitano says.

He also points out that cupcakes are back in swing. “Cupcake sales have skyrocketed,” he says. “We make three or four pans of cupcakes a day.”

Campbell’s Bakery doesn’t just make any simple kind of cupcake; they top their versions with dulce de leche, strawberry mousse or guava filling. “You have to have a niche to be successful these days,” Napolitano says.

It’s valuable to understand that consumer confidence is rising, and it’s important to take full advantage of the upcoming holiday season.

According to the National Retail Federation, consumers will spend an average of $1,007.24 during the holiday season this year, up 4.1 percent from what they said they would spend last year.

A recent survey of consumers, paired with NRF’s annual holiday spending forecast, shows that holiday retail sales in November and December will rise. Holiday shoppers are expected to spend a majority of their dollars on gifts and food,

More Americans are giving food as gifts across occasions and food types, according to a report from Packaged Facts. While certain holidays such as Christmas and Easter lend themselves to giving food as gifts, the report reveals food gifting is on the rise for other occasions, too. Consumers give food for graduations and birthdays.

 For this reason, be sure to package your signature cookies and cupcakes in festive holiday packaging that your customers will enjoy sharing with their families.